http://www.cftpa.ca/newsroom/press/PDFs/CFTPA_Feb%2015-07OL.pdf

Dear Industry Colleagues:

The CFTPA is committed to resolving the ongoing labour dispute with ACTRA and has put forward, along with our bargaining partner the APFTQ, a very generous settlement package designed to give all parties a fair deal and get back to producing quality Canadian content for Canadian audiences before more damage is done. Furthermore, this package will stop the bleeding as more and more productions are now choosing not come to Canada in the midst of all of this uncertainty. This letter outlines our offer as presented to ACTRA on February 8th, 2007 and reiterates the position of the Producers for the benefit of all stakeholders and to correct the misinformation that has been circulated.

In order to settle all the remaining issues tabled by ACTRA, including those related to New Media, we have offered ACTRA an aggregate increase of 11%. The monetary package offered by the Producers is exceptional and it is fair compensation for New Media uses for which producers do not receive any additional money. If accepted by ACTRA, all performers would benefit since the package consists of a combination of a 3% general wage increase and a 5% increase to the back-end compensation paid to performers. This is a significant increase for all performers regardless of whether they work at scale or above. All performers would see significant real dollar increases immediately.

This settlement package is considerably more generous than any other agreement negotiated by the CFTPA this year. The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) and the Director Guild of Canada (DGC) both ratified deals that provide for increases of 4% or less over the course of the agreements. By comparison, ACTRA has flatly turned down a deal that would provide them with an overall increase of 11%. The rationale for this refusal appears to be ACTRA pre-assigning a much higher, and totally arbitrary, value to New Media rights without letting the market determine those values. While ACTRA demands more, their creative and technical colleagues are left wondering when their next pay cheque will arrive.

Producers have always agreed to compensate performers for all work, including new media, but that compensation must fall in line with the realities of the current market place. To date ACTRA has proposed an increase to back-end compensation that is completely unrealistic and out of step with production realities. Any unreasonable increase would stifle the very market that producers are trying to develop and could possibly drive many out of business. For this reason it is essential that we agree to a reasonable monetary value rather than simply parking the issue to be dealt with later. Everything is to be gained by finding an agreement that encourages production and provides new work
opportunities for ACTRA Members.

We understand the negative effect that this labour disruption has had on the entire community from producers, writers, directors, technicians and service providers, and despite suggestions to the contrary, our negotiating team remains committed to working towards a fair and generous solution, but not at the expense of bargaining away the future. The CFTPA’s bargaining team has been working non-stop and with the complete support and direction of the Board of Directors, to provide Performers with a reasonable compensation package. However, bargaining does not take place in a vacuum and we are calling on ACTRA Members and Management to take this opportunity to show real leadership and join us in building a framework that will ensure that this industry continues to grow and remains a competitive leader in the international market.

Sincerely,

Ira Levy
Chair, Board of Directors
Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA)

and

Board of Directors
Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA)